Adv. Eitan Erez, special administrator for the assets of Emblaze Group (LSE: BLZ) founder Eli Reifman, claims that Reifman has basically been fired as president of the company. Consequently Erez insists that the company should transfer to the receiver Reifman's full social benefits such as severance pay for being fired, pension and advanced training funds.

According to Erez, Emblaze notified Reifman that because of his long absences and unavailability to fulfill his work commitments, the company had decided to send him on unpaid leave.

Erez added that at this stage Reifman has neither resigned nor been fired - and in any event he is not entitled to anything beyond his last salary. However, being sent on unpaid leave has been done without his consent, and he has been replaced as president making it impossible to return to the position.

Erez thinks that being sent on unpaid leave means that in effect Reifman has been fired. He added that the company holds NIS 1.2 million in compensation for Reifman and large amounts in pension and advanced training funds.

In addition, Erez points out that Reifman's work agreement specifies he is entitled to special compensation of 12 month's salary if his contract is terminated, calculated on a basic monthly salary of NIS 160,000 and NIS 200,000 with overtime.

Erez has asked the court to instruct Emblaze to provide Reifman with information about his social benefits, his employment between 1994 and 2010, and to transfer to the receiver his compensation and pension and advanced-training funds designated to him.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 19, 2010

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